1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an edge material composed of diamond particles contained in a matrix of pure Titanium or a Titanium alloy containing more than 50 wt % Titanium. This diamond containing edge material or composition may be used as cutting edge for many types of bladed tools.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturers of cutting tools, particularly in the filed of cutlery, have continually attempted to create a blade material having both a sharp edge and the ability to retain that sharp edge during extended and repeated use.
Manufactures have focused on creating materials with a high hardness in attempts to retain a sharp edge. Hardness is commonly defined as a means of specifying the resistance of a material to deformation, scratching, erosion, or oxidation. Hardness is an important feature in a bladed tool since the tool edge is subject to a wearing abrasion from the medium being worked or the surface being worked upon. For example, cutting boards, animal bones, and tough organic matter all act to abrade a tool""s edge and to hence make it dull. Manufacturers have frequently used carbon steel to achieve a blade material with relatively high hardness and edge holding ability during initial use.
Manufacturers have also focused on creating a blade material that resists wear in an attempt to achieve a blade edge that does not become dull after repeated use. Toughness is a measure of a materials resistance to repeated stress or wear without failure. Manufacturers have also frequently used ferrous alloys to provide toughness. Many steel alloys are commonly know to have a high relative toughness while maintaining a sharp edge and have thus been frequently used to make the tool edges in knives, scissors, or other cutlery blades.
Manufacturers have also focused on creating a blade material that resists oxidation in use and discoloration of the cutting medium. Manufacturers have experimented with various stainless steel alloys containing Molybdenum, Vanadium, and other elements in attempts to achieve this goal. In sum, manufacturers have frequently looked to both high carbon and stainless steel for a beneficial compromise between sharpness, toughness, and resistance to oxidation.
Recently, manufacturers have begun using ceramic compositions as blade material. Ceramics are attractive candidates for blade material in wear applications because of their high strength, relative hardness, and chemical inertness. The ceramic compositions used by manufacturers include Zirconia, Alumina, and compositions containing Zirconia ceramic and Titanium alloy. Unfortunately, while ceramic compositions have the benefit of high initial hardness they have a relative low toughness and are frequently found to be brittle in use. As a result, ceramic tool blades used in cutlery or scissors frequently break under to brittle failure and are incapable of being sharpened by a common owner.
Through use, manufacturers have found that in cutlery, a continued sharpness is not directly related to the hardness of the cutlery tool. For example, an edge material of Zirconia, with a hardness over 1200 HV (Vickers Harness), is not superior in use to a high hardness steel alloy such as SUS steel, with a hardness in the range of 700 HV, because the Zirconia cutting edge is quickly nicked during use. Thus, manufactures have found that ceramic blades, while having high hardness, also have a low toughness under stress and are generally unsuitable for use in cutlery. Thus, with both steel and ceramic blade materials, manufacturers were limited by the strengths and weakness of each and have sought a necessary compromise to combine the hardness of a ceramic with the strength of a steel alloy in an edge material.
Diamond is a ceramic material with a very relative high hardness. In the past, manufacturers did not generally experiment with diamond as a cutting edge for cutlery items because of cost, inability to sharpen after initial formation or use, the difficulty of initial formation into a workable cutting-edge shape, and several other concerns. Due to these negative features, diamond has generally only found use as an abrasive material adhered to rotary saw blades, contained within an abrasive sharpening stone, or used as a powder applied to a flat surface for polishing.
The present invention attempts to bypass the limitations of both of the above-described materials and to maximize the strengths of both materials.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a material that may be used in bladed cutlery tools, such as kitchen knives, portable knives, scissors, and razors.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a material incorporating diamond into a bladed cutlery edge.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutlery edge containing diamond in a substantially pure Titanium matrix.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutlery edge containing diamond in a Titanium alloy matrix containing variable amounts of pure Titanium with other metal alloys.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutlery edge including diamonds of a particle size generally less then 100 xcexcm.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutlery edge material including diamonds of a particle size distribution selectable according to the kind of material to be cut by the blade edge of the cutlery.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutlery edge material formed by mixing diamond in a Titanium based matrix molded under pressure to form an edge portion that is later sintered and subjected to an edge processing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool edge for use in cutlery where edge nicking or tipping is minimized relative to the useful hardness and elasticity of the edge. It should be understood that edge tipping or nicking are substantially the same process resulting in minor damage to a cutting edge.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for creating a diamond containing edge material.
The present invention relates to a blade material including diamond particles below about 100 xcexcm diameter serving as cutting agents while fixed in a retaining matrix. The diamond particles are formed at the blade edge through sintering and edge processing process. The diamond particles are fixed in place with a matrix of Titanium, or with a Titanium alloy containing more than about 50 wt % of Titanium.
According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material comprising: a plurality of ceramic particles, a matrix material, the matrix material being at least 50.00 weight percent Titanium, and the matrix material substantially retaining the ceramic particles after sintering.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material wherein: the ceramic particles have a particle size distribution, the particle size distribution being less than about 100 xcexcm.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material wherein: the ceramic particles include at least diamond particles.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material wherein: the diamond particles are at least partially coated with a Nickel alloy.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material wherein: the ceramic particles are from about 5-50 weight percent of the edge material, and the matrix material is from about 50-95 weight percent of the edge material.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material wherein: the matrix material includes about 50.1 wt % Titanium and 49.9 wt % Nickel alloy.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided an edge material wherein: the matrix material includes about 90.0 wt % Titanium, 6.0 wt % Aluminum, and 4.0 wt % Vanadium.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an edge material, comprising the steps of: selecting diamond particles of a predetermined desired size, selecting a metallic material of a type bondable to the diamond particles, mixing the diamond particles with the metallic material to form a composition, filling a mold with the composition, molding the composition under pressure into a predetermined shape, sintering the shape at a temperature below about 1300xc2x0 C. in a nonoxidizing atmosphere creating the edge material, and processing the edge material to a desired form.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an edge material, further comprising the steps of: affixing the edge material to at least one external surface.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an edge material, wherein the step of selecting a metallic material further includes the steps of: determining an alloy composition having at least a partial chemical attraction to the diamond particles, and processing the alloy composition in to a powder.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an edge material, wherein the step of selecting diamond particles further includes the steps of: determining a desired particle size distribution of the diamond particles below a maximum size of about 100 xcexcm.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an edge material, wherein the step of selecting diamond particles further includes the step of: coating at least partially the diamond particles with a nickel coating.
According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an edge material, wherein the step of processing the edge material further includes the step of: exposing the diamond particles to form a cutting edge on the edge material.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.